Greater Than a Pharaoh, Lesser Than a Slave
by Wolf Flash
Summary: Atem, the new pharaoh, asks himself what makes him different from the others. Random one-shot.


Another one-shot I wrote. But since I don't have a clue about Egypt and its traditions, not all of it might be correct. Sorry if something is wrong. Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. If I did, The history part of it would have been really messed up.

The vast desert of Egypt beyond the villages was calm and peaceful as Atem looked upon it from his palace. The former pharaoh had passed away, so his teenage son had inherited the throne. But something bothered the young man. _Do I really deserve to be pharaoh_? _What makes _me_ so special_?

Now, young Atem stood looking once more before his land, _his_ Egypt. But this time, it wasn't from high up on his throne. He was now standing _on_ it, instead _above_ it. He had taken off his jewels and had swapped his royal costume for the clothes of a merchant. He had then put on a cloak, and secretly blended into the city with the common people unnoticed. What makes a man, or in this case a boy, pharaoh instead of a merchant… or a slave? He knew that the bloodline was what made all the difference. Therefore, he wanted to find the answer to his greatest question. _Other than their family and status in the society, what different was a pharaoh to a merchant or a slave_?

"Watch it, you brat!" a man yelled at the teen when he accidentally bumped into him. But Atem just ignored him and went on his way. _Do jewels, clothes and identity change everything_?

Looking forward, he saw a boy being whipped by his master. Was he… a slave? The boy, who was just a little younger than he was, cried out as the leather tip sank into his flesh again and again through his thin clothing. Finally, Atem couldn't stand the sight anymore. He walked up to the man.

"Why are you hitting that boy, sir?"

"None of your business, punk," the man shot back at the teen who had half his face covered as he continued to whip the poor child.

"Please stop, sir," pleaded Atem, disgusted with how the poor boy was treated like an object.

"You aren't even half my size! Do you want me to give you a whipping too?" he replied, this time raising his whip threateningly. But at least for this one moment, the boy was spared.

"What gives you the right to whip me and this boy?" he asked again, and the man then laughed cruelly.

"He's my slave, idiot, and you're just a kid. Nobody cares for slaves and punks like you."

"Well, what makes him your slave?" At these words, the man laughed again, looking at the kid before him as if he were insane. By now, a curious crowd was gathering where they were, listening to the conversation.

"I bought him, idiot. I paid two loaves of bread for him."

"So you mean that you are also worth two loaves of bread?" asked Atem this time.

"What did you say?" said the man, unbelieving how rude the teen was to him.

"He too is a human and is in every way equal to you. Therefore, you too are worth nothing but two loaves of bread, if that's what you think he is worth."

"He's just a mere slave! Why you little-" He began, but Atem cut him short.

"Okay. He is a slave. But would you still be whipping him if he were the pharaoh?"

"Don't make me laugh! He's just a damned slave, nothing else!"

"That was not the question. I asked if you still would be whipping him if he were the pharaoh, not if he was one or not."

"Then… I guess I wouldn't," said the man, taken aback.

"Good. But what different is he from the pharaoh?" At these words, everyone in the crowd gasped.

"You can be stoned to death just for saying that, you insolent little jerk!" the now furious man screamed at him.

"Give that kid a lesson he won't forget for comparing a slave to the pharaoh!" somebody in the crowd shouted.

"Answer my question. What is the difference?" said Atem calmly, ignoring the people.

"YOU INSOLENT LITTLE JERK!" The man had lost his temper, and lashed out his whip at the offending brat. It cut into Atem's arm, and droplets of blood oozed from it. This was the first time in his life that he had been struck by somebody, yet he did not even flinch and stood where he was.

"Since you can't answer my question, you have no right to treat this boy as a slave, and neither do you have the right to hurt me nor anybody else you see," said Atem, his spirit still undaunted. The man was angry beyond words by now, and did not answer but instead drove his whip again, this time slashing him on the cheek. He drove it a third time, a fourth time, and then proceeded to give Atem what would have been the whipping of his life if it weren't actually the first time. But Atem just stood there and gave no notion of backing away.

"Please! Stop it!" begged the slave who had just been whipped before Atem had arrived. Tears welled up it his eyes, for it was the first time somebody had actually helped and protected him. But now, this very person who was helping him was being given what he had deserved. "Please! I'm the one who deserves this, not him!" he begged again. But it wasn't his master who responded. It was Atem.

"Tell me," he said to the man confidently, despite the stinging pain that seared through his body. "Tell me what the boy did to deserve a whipping from you."

"If it sets your mind at ease, then it's because the useless thing dropped my bag it was carrying," the man said while laughing, still enjoying the pain he was bringing to his adversary as the whip left mark after mark of crimson on the ripping black cloak.

"But it was you who made him carry it in the first place, right?" Atem then glanced at the boy. "It doesn't even seem like he is in the condition to walk, let alone carry your bag. And don't ever say that somebody is useless. You are the one who is really useless, hurting someone that much for something this insignificant."

"Well, let me tell you something. YOU are the one who is useless, brat!" The man then struck the whip one more time with all his might.

The crowd, now larger than ever, stared wide-eyed in shock, and when he realized it, even the man did too. The cloak the teen was wearing had fallen off, and standing there, bruised, bloody but not broken, was none other than the pharaoh of Egypt. The man dropped his whip at once in realization of what he had done, and sank on his knees, bowing before the one he had just beaten. But Atem just ignored him.

"Oh! Please! I'm begging you! Spare me! I didn't know!" he cried, trying to save himself.

"That didn't work the last time with you, so how do you think it's going to work with me?" replied Atem with a wry smile on his face. "And didn't I ask you already what the difference between a pharaoh and a slave was? When you didn't recognize me, you treated me like a slave. The moment you recognize me, you stop. But it's still me, isn't it? If the boy you had beaten were the pharaoh, then you wouldn't have beaten him. But it's still the same boy, isn't it?" He then glared at the man, who immediately retreated and ran off. The crowd was taken aback, and some people even tried to help. However, he just shook his head. "You weren't helping me when you didn't recognize me. Yet now, why do you try to help?"

He then turned his attention to the boy. _Strange_, Atem thought. _This boy really does look like me, even more with all these bruises on our bodies_. They might have easily passed as brothers.

"I-I'm sorry… look at you…" the boy kneeled down before the pharaoh who had just gotten hurt because of him.

"Don't do that, and get up," said Atem. "It hurts me more if you feel sorry. And… tell me your name. I'm Atem." The boy got up, wiped his tears, and smiled.

"Call me… Yugi."

"Fine. Now, Yugi. Let's go," he said while holding out his hand, and he too smiled. But Yugi looked at the hand for a second and hesitated.

"But, you're the pharaoh… I'm not supposed to…"

"Well, you're now the pharaoh's brother," Atem replied. Yugi nodded, and they shook hands. Still not letting go of each other's hand, they started walking together side by side towards the palace. On the outside, the cuts and bruises made them both look like slaves. But as they proudly walked, head held high and back straight with smiles on their face, for all the world knew, they were both pharaohs.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review. That's what inspires me to keep on writing!


End file.
